Cicadas are large, winged insects known for the loud, distinct noise produced by the males during the summer months. While common across North America, the cicadas found in Maine differ significantly from the massive, synchronized broods that often make national headlines. Maine’s cicadas are quieter and appear annually, belonging to a different category than those that emerge in a 17-year cycle. Their presence provides a consistent part of the mid-to-late summer soundtrack.
The Maine Cicada Reality
The cicadas that inhabit Maine are known as “Annual Cicadas” or “Dog Day Cicadas,” primarily belonging to the genus Neotibicen. This name is derived from their emergence period, which typically occurs during the “dog days” of summer, starting around late July and continuing through August. Unlike their periodical cousins, these insects emerge as adults every year, ensuring their buzzing song is heard reliably each summer.
The life cycle of individual Annual Cicadas is multi-year, generally lasting two to five years underground as nymphs feeding on tree roots. However, the population’s emergence is not synchronized; a portion completes its life cycle and reaches adulthood every year. This staggered schedule prevents the overwhelming mass appearances seen elsewhere. While you may hear their chorus from the treetops, you are unlikely to encounter large swarms, making their shed exoskeletons on tree trunks a more common sight than the adults themselves.
Why Periodical Broods Skip Maine
The massive emergences featured in the news belong to Periodical Cicadas, species within the genus Magicicada. These insects are known for their synchronized juvenile development periods of either 13 or 17 years before they surface all at once. This survival strategy, known as predator satiation, involves emerging in huge numbers so that predators eat their fill, leaving the majority of cicadas to successfully reproduce.
The geographical range of these Magicicada broods does not extend far enough north or east to include Maine. The 17-year Periodical Cicadas are generally northern, but their range typically only reaches southern New York and occasionally Massachusetts. The 13-year cicadas are more southern and midwestern, occupying the Mississippi Valley and surrounding states. Maine’s climate and location place it outside the established boundaries for all known periodical cicada broods.
Identifying Local Species and Sounds
The most commonly encountered cicada in Maine is the Dog-day Cicada (Neotibicen canicularis), one of the most northern species in the genus. Its song is described as a loud, wiry drone or a high-pitched buzz-saw sound, typically heard during the heat of the day. Another species sometimes found in the region is Linne’s Cicada (Neotibicen linnei), which produces a burry, rattling call.
The sound is produced only by the males using specialized abdominal organs called tymbals, which vibrate rapidly to create the mating call. The loudness helps males attract females and can also draw other males to form noisy aggregations. You may also encounter the Northern Dusk Singing Cicada, now classified as Megatibicen grossus, which is North America’s largest cicada species. This species is noted for singing most actively at dusk, offering a distinct, heavy, pulsating drone as the sun begins to set.